Should I Quit Finasteride? (side Effects?)

[NeedSomeHelpBro]

Hey y'all, I've been at a crossroads with my hair loss for a while now since a teenager. I'd love your guys opinion.

I'm 22 years old
Dealt with hair loss since I was about 17
Been on finasteride and rogaine since 17

For the most part finasteride and rogaine have been very good to me, I've never had super thick hair and it's never been super thin either. Since I was diagnosed with male pattern baldness it's been in the middle with the help of these products. I would say it's been great for my confidence to have hair, than be bald so it helped me alot. I turned 22 oct 2nd of this year and with my girlfriend I noticed my dick wasn't getting as hard as it usually did. Then as the days went on, I noticed I couldn't get it up to p**rn or even masterbating, and when I did it was always like barely hard but could bring me to orgasm. There were even days I tried to get it up and it wasn't going at all, which scared me very much. I've never had side effects other then zero morning wood and watery semen, but I always looked past that for hair. My question is clearly I'm guessing the lack of DHT is lowering my testosterone so much that I'm now dealing with side effects, sexually.. which scares me to death. I've been off propecia since then for a couple of weeks and it's thankfully so much easier to get harder, no days where it hasn't work since I stopped. My semen is still watery but has more white in it then ever which I enjoy. My energy has gone up, I just feel overall better. I feel like finasteride has also made my dick smaller. If just doesn't look as big as it used to, maybe lack of blood flow.. not sure. It's not even close to 100% pre finasteride state but it's definitely the best it's been in a long time. But with improved penis function I've also noticed hairs in the front of my hairline shrinking.. and it's clearly from my male pattern baldness.. the hairs seem to be retuning to a receding state.. so now I'm stuck with.. do I keep using this drug and try to save the hair I still have with the risk of permanent sexual problems? Or quit and just live with what rogaine and regenpure shampoo can keep me? I worry these won't be enough to stop my male pattern baldness.. but I also can't live my life with sexual side effects. Id rather be healthy sexually then anything else.. what should I do? I wish this wasn't happening to me.. I just want to live a normal young mans life.. it's been very depressing watching my hair shrink but also I don't want to risk my sexual life.. help?

 

[Singularity2045]

What dose Finasteride are you on at the moment? If you're on 1 mg, then you might want to cut that in half or take it every other day and see what happens. But before doing that, stay off it for 3-4 weeks so your hormones can re-adjust, and get function back to how it was before.

It's really unlikely that these effects are permanent, but I guess it will really hit your confidence and self esteem, and for peace of mind, try to forget about it, focus on other things and try not to worry... because ED can also become psychological.

I follow science and medicine, and this is just my opinion, but I think we're pretty close to a cure, and to be able to reverse baldness. This is because of the technology like gene therapy, and biotech in general is becoming a mature field... we're seeing very powerful technologies like stem cells, gene therapies (with things like CRISPR) entering clinical trials. I would be extremely surprised if we cannot cure this by the time you are 30... So, because of your age, I don't think you'll be spending your life with no hair.

You could try to incorporate a couple supplements to help you. Pycnogenol + L-Arginine. Read this study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12851125

Sorry, you don't have many options. Finasteride is still one of the best things available which is proven to work.

The shampoos will probably help, but you'll probably start losing more hair eventually as DHT does its damage.

 

[FutureSaitama]

Quitting finasteride is strictly your decision if you get sides, for many people finasteride is like a deal with the devil, you get to keep your hair at the cost of your libido. Seems to be your case, now ask yourself what is more important: your hair or your sexual health? (you can't have both.)

 

[michel sapin]

and even if it can seem crazy . i have also the clear feeling that propecia can make your penis smaller after years on it . certainly by a lack of blood flow . or the fact of having less morning wood .
this is sad , and dnagerous but the only way to keep hair . i hope the cure will be close

 

[NeedSomeHelpBro]

Quitting finasteride is strictly your decision if you get sides, for many people finasteride is like a deal with the devil, you get to keep your hair at the cost of your libido. Seems to be your case, now ask yourself what is more important: your hair or your sexual health? (you can't have both.)

What I don't understand is according to all these doctors and "studies" finasteride is safe and is used by millions of men.. but I don't see how that could be because I know there are plenty of men like me who get put in these spots. Am I just unlucky? Or what.. it's honestly not fair

What dose Finasteride are you on at the moment? If you're on 1 mg, then you might want to cut that in half or take it every other day and see what happens. But before doing that, stay off it for 3-4 weeks so your hormones can re-adjust, and get function back to how it was before.

It's really unlikely that these effects are permanent, but I guess it will really hit your confidence and self esteem, and for peace of mind, try to forget about it, focus on other things and try not to worry... because ED can also become psychological.

I follow science and medicine, and this is just my opinion, but I think we're pretty close to a cure, and to be able to reverse baldness. This is because of the technology like gene therapy, and biotech in general is becoming a mature field... we're seeing very powerful technologies like stem cells, gene therapies (with things like CRISPR) entering clinical trials. I would be extremely surprised if we cannot cure this by the time you are 30... So, because of your age, I don't think you'll be spending your life with no hair.

You could try to incorporate a couple supplements to help you. Pycnogenol + L-Arginine. Read this study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12851125

Sorry, you don't have many options. Finasteride is still one of the best things available which is proven to work.

The shampoos will probably help, but you'll probably start losing more hair eventually as DHT does its damage.

I've been on 1 mg forever.. I just fear the worst with this pill and I'm at a major tough spot.. that's why I don't know what I should do.. I don't see my hair lasting till 30 if there really is a cure by then.. that's a long time of suffering and basically breaking my dick if I continue this way with no fix

 

[FutureSaitama]

What I don't understand is according to all these doctors and "studies" finasteride is safe and is used by millions of men.. but I don't see how that could be because I know there are plenty of men like me who get put in these spots. Am I just unlucky? Or what.. it's honestly not fair

A part of them get them later on, a part of them ignore them and the last part don't get them at all, you just can't trust those statistics because there are many people who get PFS when they quit and not when they are on treatment. It's like playing russian roulette with your hormones and the prize is that you can keep your hair. Honestly i'm still thinking of trying finasteride again, even if i got sides, theres always that little devil on my shoulder that tells me "just lower the dose and you will be fine, you don't want to be a bald loser".. and if by february i won't have news about the new treatments i think i will bite the bullet again..

 

[MikeW]

What I don't understand is according to all these doctors and "studies" finasteride is safe and is used by millions of men.. but I don't see how that could be because I know there are plenty of men like me who get put in these spots. Am I just unlucky? Or what.. it's honestly not fair




I've been on 1 mg forever.. I just fear the worst with this pill and I'm at a major tough spot.. that's why I don't know what I should do.. I don't see my hair lasting till 30 if there really is a cure by then.. that's a long time of suffering and basically breaking my dick if I continue this way with no fix

The studies are bullshit. Funded by pharmaceutical companies. This drug can cause permanent ED and science has proven it.

I took it for 4 weeks and am completely impotent. Yet you have posters saying it's safe and side effects go away. They might not go away.

 

[MikeW]

A part of them get them later on, a part of them ignore them and the last part don't get them at all, you just can't trust those statistics because there are many people who get PFS when they quit and not when they are on treatment. It's like playing russian roulette with your hormones and the prize is that you can keep your hair. Honestly i'm still thinking of trying finasteride again, even if i got sides, theres always that little devil on my shoulder that tells me "just lower the dose and you will be fine, you don't want to be a bald loser".. and if by february i won't have news about the new treatments i think i will bite the bullet again..

Don't do it. Hair isn't worth permanent erectile dysfunction.

 

[NeedSomeHelpBro]

The studies are bullshit. Funded by pharmaceutical companies. This drug can cause permanent ED and science has proven it.

I took it for 4 weeks and am completely impotent. Yet you have posters saying it's safe and side effects go away. They might not go away.

I know but I also don't want to be bald.. I guess that's just life.. I wish I could find a way around this issue.. seems like there's no other options. How can these "pharmaceutical companies" be allowed to post fake studies? How have millions of men not sued? I don't get how this hasn't backfired on any of these people

 

[MikeW]

I know but I also don't want to be bald.. I guess that's just life.. I wish I could find a way around this issue.. seems like there's no other options. How can these "pharmaceutical companies" be allowed to post fake studies? How have millions of men not sued? I don't get how this hasn't backfired on any of these people

Wait until you'be lost enough hair and than get a transplant.

Well there are ongoing class action lawsuits over the damage propecia has caused men.

The Pharmaceutical companies don't care about your health, it's all about money. And they lobby the FDA to approve drugs.

Does finasteride help treat hair loss? Yes. Is it safe? No.

 

[MikeW]

I know but I also don't want to be bald.. I guess that's just life.. I wish I could find a way around this issue.. seems like there's no other options. How can these "pharmaceutical companies" be allowed to post fake studies? How have millions of men not sued? I don't get how this hasn't backfired on any of these people

I don't want to be bald either. Nobody does.

 

[RS85]

Hey y'all, I've been at a crossroads with my hair loss for a while now since a teenager. I'd love your guys opinion.

I'm 22 years old
Dealt with hair loss since I was about 17
Been on finasteride and rogaine since 17

For the most part finasteride and rogaine have been very good to me, I've never had super thick hair and it's never been super thin either. Since I was diagnosed with male pattern baldness it's been in the middle with the help of these products. I would say it's been great for my confidence to have hair, than be bald so it helped me alot. I turned 22 oct 2nd of this year and with my girlfriend I noticed my dick wasn't getting as hard as it usually did. Then as the days went on, I noticed I couldn't get it up to p*rn or even masterbating, and when I did it was always like barely hard but could bring me to orgasm. There were even days I tried to get it up and it wasn't going at all, which scared me very much. I've never had side effects other then zero morning wood and watery semen, but I always looked past that for hair. My question is clearly I'm guessing the lack of DHT is lowering my testosterone so much that I'm now dealing with side effects, sexually.. which scares me to death. I've been off propecia since then for a couple of weeks and it's thankfully so much easier to get harder, no days where it hasn't work since I stopped. My semen is still watery but has more white in it then ever which I enjoy. My energy has gone up, I just feel overall better. I feel like finasteride has also made my dick smaller. If just doesn't look as big as it used to, maybe lack of blood flow.. not sure. It's not even close to 100% pre finasteride state but it's definitely the best it's been in a long time. But with improved penis function I've also noticed hairs in the front of my hairline shrinking.. and it's clearly from my male pattern baldness.. the hairs seem to be retuning to a receding state.. so now I'm stuck with.. do I keep using this drug and try to save the hair I still have with the risk of permanent sexual problems? Or quit and just live with what rogaine and regenpure shampoo can keep me? I worry these won't be enough to stop my male pattern baldness.. but I also can't live my life with sexual side effects. Id rather be healthy sexually then anything else.. what should I do? I wish this wasn't happening to me.. I just want to live a normal young mans life.. it's been very depressing watching my hair shrink but also I don't want to risk my sexual life.. help?

Sorry to hear this bro. I am in the same boat. Check out the thread i created at: https://www.hairlosstalk.com/intera...erm-use-please-share-your-experiences.103020/

I also had the side effects creep up on me over time. Its very depressing. I am considering lowering the dosage and cutting down to every 3rd day and see if that helps with the sides. Have you tried that? Worked for you?

 

[NeedSomeHelpBro]

Sorry to hear this bro. I am in the same boat. Check out the thread i created at: https://www.hairlosstalk.com/intera...erm-use-please-share-your-experiences.103020/

I also had the side effects creep up on me over time. Its very depressing. I am considering lowering the dosage and cutting down to every 3rd day and see if that helps with the sides. Have you tried that? Worked for you?

Well, I've for the past two weeks have lowered it to m w f.. but feeling like I'm making a deal with Satan so some days I've been skipping.. hair is slowly but surely receding but I just don't feel the same anymore down there. I just feel like my dick and me are slowly parting ways over time, I never get horny anymore I barely have desire to have sex and when I can and do the erections are weak and don't last long.. even during once for me.. idk what to do.. I'm debating quitting forever and dealing with the risks of a fail but on the drug the risks are even worse so it's a lose lose at this point, unless I quit and things repair.. I would rather have a life then hair and be a shadow of myself at this point.. idk what to do.. at 22 this is crushing me

 

[RS85]

Well, I've for the past two weeks have lowered it to m w f.. but feeling like I'm making a deal with Satan so some days I've been skipping.. hair is slowly but surely receding but I just don't feel the same anymore down there. I just feel like my dick and me are slowly parting ways over time, I never get horny anymore I barely have desire to have sex and when I can and do the erections are weak and don't last long.. even during once for me.. idk what to do.. I'm debating quitting forever and dealing with the risks of a fail but on the drug the risks are even worse so it's a lose lose at this point, unless I quit and things repair.. I would rather have a life then hair and be a shadow of myself at this point.. idk what to do.. at 22 this is crushing me

@NeedSomeHelpBro - calm down. you need to figure out the balance between lowering the sides and keeping the hair (or at least some of it). For me, i realised that there may be a correlation between exercise and side effects. I was active all the way until about 1.5 years ago when i pretty much stopped exercising completely due to injury. This is also the time when i saw the side effects increase for me significantly. Since that was the major change in my lifestyle, i believe there is a correlation. I have now started exercising again daily and am slowly going to pump up the intensity. I will report back on whether that brought the side effects under control.

Eventually, i plan to increase exercise and sleep, be more active, stay positive and reduce my propecia intake until i find that balance where the sides are at bay (i am not sure whether i will quit completely as i cannot see myself being bald and it will have a huge impact on my self esteem). I will continue with minoxidil and regenepure and will see if there is any other topical medication i can add to help with the hairloss.

If you are considering going bald, see if u can shave off your hair now and pretend like its a new look you want to adopt. Build up a better body (usually a good body complements the bald look) and see if you can experiment with facial hair to make the look more modern and sexy?

 

[Needsomehelpbruh]

@NeedSomeHelpBro - calm down. you need to figure out the balance between lowering the sides and keeping the hair (or at least some of it). For me, i realised that there may be a correlation between exercise and side effects. I was active all the way until about 1.5 years ago when i pretty much stopped exercising completely due to injury. This is also the time when i saw the side effects increase for me significantly. Since that was the major change in my lifestyle, i believe there is a correlation. I have now started exercising again daily and am slowly going to pump up the intensity. I will report back on whether that brought the side effects under control.

Eventually, i plan to increase exercise and sleep, be more active, stay positive and reduce my propecia intake until i find that balance where the sides are at bay (i am not sure whether i will quit completely as i cannot see myself being bald and it will have a huge impact on my self esteem). I will continue with minoxidil and regenepure and will see if there is any other topical medication i can add to help with the hairloss.

If you are considering going bald, see if u can shave off your hair now and pretend like its a new look you want to adopt. Build up a better body (usually a good body complements the bald look) and see if you can experiment with facial hair to make the look more modern and sexy?

I work full time and workout when I can.. I just don't know what to do anymore.. one hand I want to quit and try to recover from 5 years of sudden sides.. but on the other hand.. it's so hard to just allow all my hair to just go.. 5 years of being on this pill to just lose it all? Man is life sure unfair.. Why can't there be a better solution.. it's 2017.. why are there zero cures for this nonsense.. I just don't get it.. I've never been so low in my whole life.. all I've ever wanted is a normal life.. but since 17 it's been hell

 

[RS85]

I work full time and workout when I can.. I just don't know what to do anymore.. one hand I want to quit and try to recover from 5 years of sudden sides.. but on the other hand.. it's so hard to just allow all my hair to just go.. 5 years of being on this pill to just lose it all? Man is life sure unfair.. Why can't there be a better solution.. it's 2017.. why are there zero cures for this nonsense.. I just don't get it.. I've never been so low in my whole life.. all I've ever wanted is a normal life.. but since 17 it's been hell

Sorry to hear that. tough luck bro, hope you find your way out of it. Majority of the people here are people who started losing their hair in their teens or early 20-s at the latest. Mine started at 20. Take comfort in the fact that you are not alone? Do we all want our hair back and lead normal healthy lives as young adults? Of course we do. But yea, life is not fair. So try to work on your self esteem and experiment with the bald look. Anyways, these medication are (in many cases) just delay measures. Eventually, your hair is going to go. The only thing that will give you comfort is accepting your situation, analyzing your options and picking the best of them.